Meet Karen Riley | Environmental Art Activist & S.C.R.A.P. Gallery Executive Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Riley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, why did you pursue a creative career?
I found that through art, whether it be visual, performative, or writing, I have the ability to to communicate and share ideas and issues that are important. Art also provides opportunities to collaborate with people all over. To me, it is an international language that we can all speak.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Make a difference. Karen Riley believes it is up to us to make the world a better place for people, animals, and the environment through creative solutions involving art and recycling.
Karen is the Executive Director and a founder of the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery (Student Creative Recycle Art Program), the environmental arts education program. Since 1997, the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery has been addressing two of today’s most urgent issues – the environment and youth education throughout the Coachella Valley and beyond.

Riley received her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from California State University Long Beach and her Master’s Degree in Environmental Education from Fairfax University. She was selected to participate in the 2019 NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Planet Steward program, which supports educators in developing hands-on action-based student projects. She is also the author of Landfill Lunch Box, Argollas Plasticas y Otras Cosas/Plastic Rings and Other Things, Don’t Trash My Planet, The Eco Deck, and Recycle Road Trip.

Riley supports a variety of art and environmental endeavors throughout Southern California, serving on the boards of the Coachella Valley Art Center, East Valley Art Foundation, Artists For Refugee Children, and as a 5 Gyres Ambassador. In 2022, Bob McKechnie, founder of the Cathedral City Peace Initiative, asked her to join a committee to designate Cathedral City as an International City of Peace and work to bring peace to our greater community.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would take them to S.C.R.A.P. Gallery. Yes, I work there, but there is always something new going on, and the amount of strange materials that we divert from the landfill is pretty astounding. Next, just a few blocks away, we would head over to Chuperosa Lane to see the murals commissioned by the Agnes Pelton Society. Depending on the time of year, it’s the desert; I would take them to all the beautiful, natural places in the Coachella Valley.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Always my mom and dad! Also, every little girl out there who has the power to change the world.

Website: scrapgallery.org

Instagram: @scrapgallery

Twitter: @scrapgallery

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scrapgallery

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCee99mbK0dvUOCd6Ezc3Gnw/featured